Chapter 2006: Not a Single Normal Person
Xu Huo quickly arrived at the Marine Evolution Base. This was the second location Zheng Yuci had mentioned where the "White Blood" was stored. Now, both inside and outside the base were engulfed in a sea of flames. Players from the original base and those from the East District who had come to assist were locked in a standoff with players from the same district and outer zone players. The Rebel Army, which had been irreconcilably opposed to the East District, had instead changed its strategy. They stopped harassing the East District players and began blocking the other players, temporarily aligning themselves with the East District on the same front.
Xu Huo didn't bother with the players inside the base. He directly released his Spiritual Realm and entered the base's interior. As he moved, the mutated plants near the base began to grow wildly again, gradually engulfing the entire base. Except for a few players, most were forced to retreat from the base as the mutated plants surged in. Of course, some who were adept at using potions and items could clear the surrounding mutated plants, but the range was limited and couldn't cover the entire base, so they were still slowed down.
When Xu Huo entered the underground facility, some players were already inside, locked in a fierce battle that made it impossible for anyone to spare the time to find the laboratory Zheng Yuci had recorded in the projection.
Avoiding these people, Xu Huo quickly shuttled through different laboratories, searching for the real "White Blood."
It seemed that whether it was the outer zone players, the East District players, or the Rebel Army, they had all been misled by Zheng Yuci. Everyone believed that the white potion used on the players was the "White Blood," which also fit common sense. But the real "White Blood" was in Zheng Yuci's hands. The cognitive gap he deliberately created allowed others to know and affirm the existence of "White Blood," but he never said that the potion obtained from the East District was the real "White Blood." The potion used by the East District players might have been diluted or mixed with other drugs. So the "White Blood" could be the original solution, or a new type of potion with completely different properties from the East District's potion.
To make matters worse, he might not have even placed the real "White Blood" in Jade Spring City at all.
Xu Huo stopped in front of a laboratory. The door had already been destroyed, and the alarms and defense devices inside the door were completely wrecked. Two players stood on either side of a one-zhang-square black metal box, trying to pry open the buttons on top.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to open that box," he said to the two.
These two should have recognized him. The moment they saw him, they stopped trying to open the box, instead gripping their items tightly and stepping in front of the metal box. With a forced smile, one said, "Friend, don't be too greedy. Good things should be shared. You can't take everything for yourself."
"If the 'White Blood' is really stored inside, it's most likely a highly toxic potion. It's not much use to me. You can take it if you want; I just want to clear the instance." Xu Huo stepped forward, and as he approached, the two players, who had yet to make a move, hesitated before slowly retreating to the sides.
Xu Huo came to the metal box, reached out and touched its surface, then lowered his hand after a moment. He said in a deep voice, "It seems we have no choice but to open it."
As he spoke, he took two steps back and was about to act when Teacher Zhao suddenly arrived, shouting sharply, "Don't open it! This is an atomization device!"
As he spoke, he had already controlled the entire laboratory space, sweeping aside the two players near the metal box before explaining to Xu Huo, "Even if the real 'White Blood' is inside, you can't get it. This big box is actually an atomization device. Opening it activates the atomization, and the potion will turn into a medicinal mist that sprays out at high speed."
Turning around in the room filled with Space Rays, Xu Huo looked at him with a half-smile. "Then you think of a way. If I can't find the 'White Blood,' I can't clear the instance."
At this moment, no matter how slow Teacher Zhao was, he understood Zheng Yuci's malicious intent. He knew that the potion used by the East District players was toxic. If what they were using wasn't the real "White Blood," then what was stored in this box might be a concentrated version of the potion, meaning it would be even more toxic. Zheng Yuci deliberately placed the potion in an atomization device, clearly intending to prevent anyone from obtaining it. If it were atomized, the players definitely couldn't get it, but it would disperse through the air and be difficult to handle, with the victims being the people of Jade Spring City.
"Zheng Yuci really doesn't treat the people of Jade Spring City as human. Before, to prevent anyone from interfering with your duel, he lured people to the White Bear Laboratory," Teacher Zhao's face was very grim. It didn't matter how many outer zone players died, but this was using the lives of East District players to fill the gap. "Now, to prevent you from clearing the instance, he deliberately lured you here."
"You're wrong about that," Xu Huo glanced at the metal box. "Since this is an atomization device, it means there's an eighty percent chance the real potion is inside. He might not want you to get the real potion, but telling me to come here to clear the instance is genuine."
"Genuine indeed," Teacher Zhao said. "Once the atomization device is activated, the toxic potion will spread. Do you know how many people in Jade Spring City will die? He wants you to clear the instance as a pretext; his real intention is to have you help him kill the people of Jade Spring City!"
A small box didn't have that much power. Even with the latest equipment, as long as proper precautions were taken, the potion leakage could be completely prevented. From the beginning, Teacher Zhao only advised against opening the box, rather than trying to destroy the device or add a defense layer. This showed that the problem wasn't with this box.
Pausing slightly, Xu Huo raised an eyebrow and said, "There aren't many more of these metal boxes, are there? Are they linked... or are there boxes whose whereabouts even you don't know?"
"It seems I guessed right. How many haven't you found?"
"Two." Teacher Zhao very frankly gave a number and promised that the East District would find the missing boxes as soon as possible. Additionally, their technical personnel were already trying to open the boxes elsewhere, and they would send the "White Blood" over immediately.
However, at this moment, Xu Huo asked an unrelated question, "How many players in your East District have undergone Zheng Yuci's surgery?"
Meeting his gaze, Teacher Zhao suddenly realized a more serious issue: Zheng Yuci had already made thorough preparations to leave. He wasn't even willing to leave the potion for the East District. Would he leave the abandoned experimental subjects untouched? He wasn't targeting the people of Jade Spring City, but the players who had undergone the surgery!
The atomized and diluted potion might poison the people of Jade Spring City, but it probably wouldn't kill them immediately. The players who had undergone the surgery were different. They were already poisoned. To maintain the toxin in their brains at a level that was both effective and non-lethal, they needed regular check-ups and treatment. Normally, this wasn't a concern, but if they suddenly inhaled a large amount of the potion...
Seeing his expression grow increasingly grim, Xu Huo said incredulously, "Zheng Yuci is a madman. Have you all gone mad too?"